SPF permerror
The SPF result when the domain's published record cannot be interpreted, such as two SPF records or more than ten lookups; only a DNS fix resolves it.
What it means
permerror means the SPF policy is broken in a way a retry will not fix. The common causes: two TXT records starting with v=spf1, a syntax error, more than ten DNS-querying terms, more than two void lookups, an include or redirect pointing at a domain with no SPF record, or a modifier repeated.
RFC 7208 says a receiver that rejects for permerror should reply 550 with enhanced code 5.5.2. Under DMARC it is not a pass.
Because it signals a defect in the record itself, permerror is one of the most actionable SPF results: run the record through a checker that counts lookups and validates syntax.
Related terms
On this site
Sources
What this definition rests on. The wording is ours; the facts are theirs.
- RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF), section 2.6.7rfc-editor.org
- RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF), section 8.7rfc-editor.org
- RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF), section 4.6.4rfc-editor.org
All 432 terms in the glossaryThe wiki: blocklists and bounce codes